A young man named Blake from Hope Church was contacted by a
youth group from Silverdale wanting to serve in the Olympia area.
Blake thought, “The Olympia Union Gospel Mission, of course!” So we
were contacted and the planning began.
This was a first time adventure and teamwork was the key for its
success. Blake worked with staff at the the Olympia Union Gospel
Mission (OUGM) for a few months to plan this six-day mission trip for
the youth from the Grace Point Church. (On alternating years they go
out of state or stay locally.) A group of 30 plus young people and their
chaperones came July 6-11, staying at Black Lake Bible Camp while
they worked daily at OUGM facilities. The plan was twofold: paint and
proclaim! The painting part happened at Genesis Acres, our residential
women’s recovery program, and at the newly acquired Annex, which
will soon be housing the administrative offices of the Mission.

Hannah – I enjoyed being able to help people and seeing
how God used me during my time here. It was a real joy to
talk to the homeless and more than anything we could do,
they just needed to know that someone loved them.
Hunter – I enjoyed cleaning
out brush, pruning and painting. It was fun!
Riley – We actually helped
people, versus sitting and playing video games.
Sirus – I had a great time
working in the kitchen making
and serving the food. We take
for granted simple things such
as food and clothing, but it
means a lot to people in need.
Blake – I got to watch the
youth group serve in Olympia
and interacting with the homeless. It was great to see them
growing in their faith.

The proclaiming part involved ministering on Saturday evening at City
Gates Ministries handing out items to the homeless, and on Sunday
they came to the Mission’s New Freedom Church sharing personal
testimonies, leading worship and serving Sunday brunch.
Monday came and they donned latex gloves, picked up paint brushes
and went to work. It was hot outside, but the youth and their chaperones had one focus and that was to complete what they had come to
do. They successfully applied 50 gallons of paint in 660 accumulated
hours of work and even finished ahead of time. Six mobile homes
were given new life and the Annex got a facelift.
“They were so enthusiastic,” said one of the staff, “they didn’t even
want to take breaks.” It did help to use the garden hose for some
relief from the heat by spraying each other down (It was a lot of fun,
too!). One adult volunteer commented, “Their eagerness to do God’s
work was so evident. They knew what they were doing would last for
years to come.” He continued, “Today the youth are living in a much
more challenging time than when I grew up; this is such a godless
culture. As a person in their 50’s seeing youth building a foundation
on Christ is so encouraging.”
Don, who was overseeing the project, said “I wish I could hire a few of
them. They just grabbed tools and started working, never complaining. I even told them to stop for a break, but they were so motivated
to get the job done they just kept going on their own.”
Teamwork made it all happen and we are grateful to the churches,
staff, and individuals involved.

Teamwork can be defined as work done by
several associates each doing a part, but all
subordinating personal importance to the
effectiveness of the whole. Simple to say,
Loren “Skip” St
but sometimes very difficult to do. We can
Exe cutive Direeffen
ctor
almost always achieve something greater
working with others as a team than we can
achieve alone, despite our best efforts. Throughout this newsletter you will see some very creative examples of it.
One exceptional example of team work at the Mission is serving
meals to homeless men, women and children in a compassionate, caring atmosphere. You, who support the ministry financially, are key members because your donations allow us to purchase or secure from donation sources the needed food items. It
takes a group of five to eight volunteers to prepare the food and
serve the meal. Another team cleans up and gets the kitchen
ready for the next serving crew. (Imagine trying to prepare and
serve a meal to 130 by yourself many times a week!)

The hungry and disadvantaged who receive the meals are also
part of the team. Their expressions of appreciation are a huge
motivator for the servers to come back and do it all over again
on another day. They also experience the love of Jesus in a practical way, encouraging others to join His team.

What does a grant writing
class at Evergreen State
College and an infected
tooth have in common?
Clel!
Evergreen State College
instructor, Sylvie McGee,
contacted local charities
about having her students
write a grant for their
organization. Interestingly,
we were late in responding and a student was late
in registering for the class.
Low and behold it was a
perfect match, because we had the opportunity
to meet Clel who understood the Mission from
first hand experience.
Clel, 24 years old, was born in Salt Lake City,
Utah, and moved out to the east coast. He
worked in restaurants up and down the Atlantic seaboard but decided this was not what he
wanted to do with the rest of his life. In pursuit
of changing his life course, he had heard about
the Evergreen State College and decided that
would be a good fit for him.
Times were difficult so attending college was
financially challenging. Clel even found himself
homeless, living in the woods or abandoned
buildings for several years. After the birth of his
daughter, Olive, two years ago his perspective
drastically changed, especially now that he was
responsible for more than himself. He is in a
supportive community housing situation where
Olive is the center of attention, and he is very
focused on completing his education.

If you have not already, I encourage you to visit the Mission
and see the team members at work. Who knows? Call me at
360.709.9725 because you might just decide that this is for you
and join in.

Not having health insurance to care for his teeth,
Clel shared that he had come to the Mission’s
No-Fee Dental Clinic a year ago with a very painfully infected tooth. He was grateful for the caring, compassionate service he received from our
volunteer dental professionals. That experience
was why he answered the invitation; he wanted
to give back to the Mission.

Dollar Store glasses didn’t work anymore for
Eliezar, he needed a prescription.

Clel will be writing a grant, under Sylvie’s direction, to a foundation for help with offsetting the
increasing cost of food for our meals program.
With a prediction for 83,500 meals being served
this year from the Mission’s kitchen, we are
grateful for his energy, enthusiasm and wholehearted interest in presenting this very compelling community need to the foundation.

Due to the economic downturn and an online scam, Eliezar had
lost everything. Without health insurance for the first time in his
life, he didn’t know where to turn for help. He heard about the
Olympia Union Gospel Mission’s No-Fee Vision
Clinic and made an appointment. He got his
eyes checked and was fitted with a new pair
of glasses in no time. Through this experience Eliezar shared with the staff, “I have
found the Mission to be a refuge. I have
received services I never thought were
available to me and I am grateful.”

There are many ways for you to volunteer at your
Olympia Union Gospel Mission. With this story you
may be inspired to find your own very creative way to
make a difference for the most vulnerable members
of our community. Please come and visit, take a tour
and see firsthand the amazing things God is doing at
the Mission!

What’s Happening in the Recovery Program?
God is a loving God and He answers prayers. I graduated
from the addiction recovery program at the Mission in 2011
and was blessed with a job, a home and a vehicle. I felt that
I was solidly grounded. Where I went wrong was putting my
focus on my blessings instead of the Author of all my blessings. Just six months after graduating, I walked away from
my church, my support team, and I isolated myself. This
caused my relapse – I felt so ashamed.
I finally came to a breaking point because everything had
spiraled out of control. I met with a pastor and confessed
everything, and he said, “You know what you need to do.”
I did. I called the Mission and asked for help, and they welcomed me back.
I am back in the program and taking a deep look into the
honesty of my relationships with God and others; setting my
eyes on the things that are above not the things that are on
the earth and putting on the whole armor of God. (Col 3:2,
Eph 6:11)I know that Christian fellowship is key for me in
keeping a close relationship to the Lord.
I’m back … right where I belong. Please keep me in prayer.

The Mission is an amazing place, but there are days
when the clientele are difficult. On one particular day a man became aggressive, striking
Pastor Denny, the Day Room Supervisor,
causing him to fall. He ended
up in the hospital with a broken femur bone. During his
stay in the hospital the doctors
discovered he had cancer. He
and his wife Kathleen praise
God that it was found, and he
has undergone surgeries for
the removal of the tumor
and lymph nodes. During Pastor Denny’s healing period, he has been able
to encourage people and lend a listening ear
to medical staff that go out of their way to just
happen to “pop” into his room. He is walking again and
occasionally visiting the Mission, reminding us of Romans
8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose.
Please join with us in continuing to pray for Pastor Denny’s
healing from the surgeries.

New BIG Shoes – it takes teamwork!
Some days it’s about blankets, other days it’s about hats, but this day it was about shoes. As our Executive Director,
Skip, was driving out of the Mission parking lot at the end of the day, he noticed a man across the street who looked
as though he was hurt. A few minutes later, as he pulled into his driveway the sight of this man was still bothering
him. He called Elida, the Dayroom Supervisor on duty, at the Mission and asked her to check on him.
She crossed the street to an abandoned lot where she recognized the man, Rob, who was on a blanket in the scorching heat. Elida asked him if he was OK and he said, “I’m just lying here, I’m hurting.” His combat boots, which had been too small for him, were off and she was aghast at the condition
of his feet; they were blistered and raw. His feet needed immediate medical attention. She
took him inside, got him cleaned and bandaged while staff checked the Mission’s clothing
bank for shoes (size 15!!!). There were none to be found. They took Rob to
the store, and combined with the help of staff and cash donations, he was
blessed with a new pair of BIG shoes.
Do you want to help? Join in our “Share the Warmth” clothing drive. Clean
out your closets, go around to your neighbors, or have a collection
at your office. (Flyers available at our website: www.ougm.org.)
Especially appreciated are the “Rob” sized items.
Rob, center, is pictured with
OUGM staff Elida and Pastor Richard.
Olympia Union Gospel Mission | ougm.org | 360.709.9725 | 413 Franklin St NE, Olympia 98501

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is
the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

September 2012 – July 2013

76,310
32,202

Meals Served

106

Volunteer Hours

Decisions for Christ

6,147
Church/Bible Std. Attendance

4,724

Heath Resource Visits

$925,044
Healthcare Value

Thank you for your support of the
Olympia Union Gospel Mission

The LORD
is my strength and my song; he has
become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand
has done mighty things! The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the
LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” Psalm 118:14-16

IN MEMORY OF
Howard Sayler, from Betty Jean Brown
Howard Sayler, from Helen Price
Donald Hackett, from Joanne Hackett
Floyd Conway, from East Olympia Community Church
Tim Malone, from Mikell Flothe
Jack Gerlich, from Mikell Flothe